Taking COSATU Today Forward Special Bulletin, 2 April 2025
Norman Mampane
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COSATU TODAY #SACTU70 #ClassStruggle “Build Working Class Unity for Economic Liberation towards Socialism” #Back2Basics #JoinCOSATUNow #ClassConsciousness |
Taking COSATU Today Forward Special Bulletin
‘Whoever sides with the revolutionary people in deed as well as in word is a revolutionary in the full sense’-Maoo
Our side of the story
2 April 2025
“Build Working Class Unity for Economic Liberation towards Socialism”
Organize at every workplace and demand respect for labour rights Now!
Defend Jobs Now!
Join COSATU NOW!
Contents
- Workers Parliament: Back to Basics!
- COSATU has a vacancy of an Educator/Organiser at Klerksdorp office in the North West
- South Africa
- DENOSA slams Mpumalanga Provincial Health Department for abandoning nursing graduates amid staff shortages
- NEHAWU KZN statement on disgusting comments made by DA MPL
- International-Workers’ Solidarity!
- ILO supports Kenya to refine National Plan for Green Jobs and Skills
Workers’ Parliament-Back2Basics
COSATU
has a vacancy
of an Educator/Organiser at Klerksdorp office in the North West
Khanyi
Fakude, COSATU Administrative Secretary and Human Resources, 31 March 2025
COSATU has a vacancy of an Educator/Organiser in North West – Klerksdorp office.
The Provincial Educator/Organiser implement Provincial Education and Organizing
Programmes. Compile education inputs, deliver Education Programmes either
discussed in the Province or decided upon head office. Organizing aspects in
implementing material campaigns, organising programmes such as Recruitment,
Service Locals and Coordinate Affiliates Organizers/Educators.
Functions include:
• Servicing locals which includes launching and establishing new locals, liaising with the locals on activities and providing advice;
• Conducting and facilitating education for the Affiliates and locals;
• Coordinate campaigns and organizational activities;
• Coordinating subcommittees such as Provincial Educators Forum, Organisers Forum;
• Monitor the implementation of COSATU Programmes in the Province in consultation with the Provincial Secretary;
• Lead campaigns in the Province;
• Assist workers who need advice;
• Do reports and send to the Provincial and Organising Secretary
• Assist the Provincial Secretary where required
• Attend structural meetings relating to Education/Organising;
• Attend and/or facilitate workshops as might be required;
Personal attributes:
• Demonstrate ability to exercise judgement and resolve issues independently;
• Demonstrate ability to forge and maintain productive working relationships including ability to use influence to support the Federation decisions;
• Well developed communication skills, including the writing of agendas, minutes and correspondence;
• Demonstrate ability to establish and maintain effective and high level organizational coordination skills;
• Demonstrate ability to meet tight deadlines
Skills Required:
• Tertiary qualification
• 5 years’ experience as the Organiser/Educator in unions
• Excellent report writing and editing
• Excellent oral communication and presentation skills
• Proficient in Microsoft Office
• Excellent planning and organizational skills
• Valid driver’s license
• Familiar with SA Labour Laws
All
applications should be sent on or before the 11 April 2025
with detailed CV and contactable references to:
The COSATU General Secretary
Email to: khany...@cosatu.org.za
Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.
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DENOSA slams Mpumalanga Provincial Health Department for abandoning nursing graduates amid staff shortages
Cyril Mdhluli, DENOSA Mpumalanga Provincial Secretary, 1 April 2025
MBOMBELA – The Democratic Nursing Organisation of South Africa (DENOSA) in Mpumalanga is deeply disappointed by the Provincial Department of Health's failure to appoint nursing graduates from 2023 and 2024. As the new financial year begins, DENOSA urges the Department to prioritize these nurses and employ them without further delay.
The government has invested state resources in training nurses to address both unemployment and the critical shortage of healthcare workers. Yet, despite this, the Department has failed to appoint them. This is especially concerning given that Mpumalanga has only one nursing college, which admits just 70 students per year—a number far too small to meet the province’s growing healthcare needs.
Furthermore, the 113 nurses who graduated in 2024 represent the last cohort trained under the legacy qualification, which included midwifery and psychiatric nursing. At a time when the province is no longer offering midwifery training and mental health cases are rising, it is imperative that these nurses—as well as those who completed their training in previous years—are absorbed into the workforce.
Adding to the crisis, over 200 qualified professional nurses are currently being exploited, as they are registered professional nurses but continue to be paid as enrolled nurses. This is an unacceptable violation of their rights and professional status.
Mpumalanga’s public healthcare system is already overburdened due to severe staff shortages, increasing patient loads, and a worsening disease burden. Reports from healthcare workers in the province indicate that nurses are forced to manage overwhelming patient numbers, often handling cases beyond their scope due to a lack of available staff.
In maternity wards, the shortage of midwives is particularly alarming, with some facilities struggling to provide adequate maternal care, leading to higher risks for pregnant women and newborns. The lack of psychiatric nurses also jeopardizes mental health services, which are already insufficient despite the growing number of mental health care users across the country.
Moreover, many experienced nurses are leaving South Africa in search of better wages and working conditions, worsening an already critical shortage. The failure to appoint newly qualified nurses not only contradicts the government’s own investment in healthcare education but also deepens the crisis by allowing skills to go to waste while patients suffer.
DENOSA demands that the Mpumalanga Department of Health immediately:
• Advertise and fill posts for the 120 internal nurses who completed the Diploma in Nursing (Bridging Course) and the 113 nurses who completed the Diploma in Nursing (General, Psychiatry & Community) and Midwifery.
• Appoint professional nurses who graduated from 2021 onwards and are still being underpaid as enrolled nurses, ending their exploitation.
• Develop a clear and transparent Provincial absorption plan for nursing graduates going forward, ensuring that no qualified nurse remains unemployed while public health facilities are in dire need of staff.
The non-employment of qualified nurses directly compromises the Constitutional right of South Africans to access healthcare services. With rising population numbers, increased disease outbreaks, and an overworked healthcare workforce, DENOSA urges the Department of Health in the province to act immediately before the situation worsens, putting both nurses and patients at even greater risk.
END.
Issued by DENOSA in Mpumalanga
For more information, contact: Cyril Mdhluli, Provincial Secretary.
Mobile: 072 564 0136
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NEHAWU KZN statement on disgusting comments made by DA MPL
Ayanda Zulu, NEHAWU KZN Provincial Secretary, April 02, 2025
The National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union [NEHAWU] in KwaZulu-Natal is extremely annoyed and taken aback by disgusting utterances made by DA MPL Mr. Imran Keeka who is serving as the Health Portfolio Committee Chairperson.
Mr. Imran is blaming the healthcare workers for the shortage of medication in the public health-care facilities in the province. Mr. Keeka lately has projected himself as the spokesperson of the department of health neglecting his duties of oversight in the provincial legislature.
As part of our public service delivery campaign the union has been raising these issues of the shortages including the shortage of staff, shortage of vehicles in both forensic pathology services and emergency services, poor state of the infrastructure in the public hospitals and inadequate supply of equipment.
The national union calls upon Mr. Keeka together with health portfolio committee to focus on providing oversight in the department of health as the situation calls for the state of emergency.
The union will be engaging with the MEC for Health next week to discuss the state of public healthcare system in the province and wayforward.
The union will never allow the GPU to use workers as the scapegoat on the crisis that the department of health is facing. The health-care workers are giving it all under the difficult working conditions of low salaries, under staffing and unsafe working conditions.
It is against this background that the national union, calls upon Mr. Imran to publicly withdraw his utterances and apologize to all healthcare workers or face the union of Bheki Mkhize.
END
Issued by NEHAWU KwaZulu-Natal Secretariat Office
International-Solidarity
ILO supports Kenya to refine National Plan for Green Jobs and Skills
1 April 2025
Kenya is advancing a national strategy to create green jobs and support a sustainable economy. A stakeholder review supported by the ILO brought together experts, government officials, and partners to refine the plan and ensure an inclusive transition to a low-carbon future.
Nairobi, KENYA (ILO News) - Kenya is laying the foundation for a sustainable, low-carbon economy by equipping its workforce with the skills needed for green jobs. A key milestone in this journey is the development of the National Strategy on Green Skills and Green Jobs.
The State Department of Labour and Skills Development, in partnership with the International Labour Organization (ILO) PROSPECTS programme and supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, convened a stakeholder validation meeting to refine the draft National Strategy on Green Skills and Green Jobs in Kenya on 26 March 2025.
Hon. Alfred Mutua, Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of Labour and Social Protection, Kenya, said, “The transition to a low-carbon, resource-efficient, and climate-resilient economy will create new business models and green jobs. The ILO predicts that, with the right policies in place, 24 million green jobs will be created globally by 2030. This underscores the need to prioritise the green transition, ensuring that our young people benefit from new and emerging green jobs.”
The validation meeting brought together a diverse range of stakeholders including different ministries, public and private sector partners, industry experts, NGOs, social and development partners, and youth groups. It underscored the importance of a just transition, ensuring that vulnerable groups including refugees are supported as industries evolve ensuring the inclusive nature of the strategy.
A blueprint for change
Introducing the strategy, Shadrack Mwadime, Principal Secretary, State Department for Labour and Skills Development said, “This strategy is more than a document—it is a call to action. It provides us with a unique opportunity to create a legacy of change, it is time for tangible action. We must steer Kenya towards a climate-resilient, sustainable future.”
The strategy is anchored on six key pillars:
- Green governance: strengthen the governance framework for the delivery of green skills and jobs
- Green skills: develop green skills that are aligned to the needs of industry
- Green research and technology: enhance green research and technology transfer to drive innovation in green enterprises
- Green jobs: facilitate the creation and growth of green enterprises and jobs creating sustainable employment opportunities.
- Green labour market: Enhance labour market performance within the green economy
- Green finance: establish a sustainable financing mechanism for the delivery of green skills and jobs
Impact and opportunities
The green transition opens doors to new job opportunities in renewable energy, sustainable agriculture, eco-tourism, circular economy and more. As Kenya accelerates its efforts toward achieving a 32 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 through its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), the development of green skills becomes paramount.
“At the heart of the strategy lies the potential of green jobs for our young people. The growth of green industries has the potential to unlock significant returns and economic opportunities that will stimulate youth employment. This will help in averting the high youth unemployment crisis facing the country,” added Mwadime.
A well-equipped workforce will not only meet the demands of emerging industries but also drive innovation and enhance productivity across sectors. The strategy aims to tap into the large youth population by leveraging Kenya’s 18.4 million youth population and guiding them towards green employment pathways.
“Greening isn’t a new concept—it’s about inculcating knowledge and skills that make our activities more cost-effective and environmentally friendly over time, while enhancing decision-making. It's crucial that we stop working in silos; when everyone does their own thing, our processes become more expensive. But when we come together and work collectively, we can truly achieve our goals,” explained Dr Osawa Otta, Deputy Director Standards Development, TVET Authority, a participant at the validation meeting.
Closing the green skills gap
Further to presentation of strategy, the stakeholder validation meeting underlined the need for developing quality green skills to reduce environmental risks and ecological scarcities, ultimately contributing to a more inclusive and resilient economy.
While speaking about green labour markets, Kim Matu from Global Development Incubator stated that, "We have a lot of people working on green jobs and many more training for them. However, I believe we need to establish a small working group to curate these opportunities—there’s a wealth of activity, yet no central point to gather the information. We must identify which jobs are available now, in the mid-term (two to four years), and in the long term (four to ten years). With that data, we can map out the required skills and connect them with available training partners".
By integrating green learning across basic, technical, and tertiary education—as well as promoting on-the-job training programs—the initiative aims to close the growing green skills gap. This approach is set to empower workers, boost competitiveness, and ensure that Kenya remains at the forefront of the global green transition.
"The National Strategy on Green Skills and Jobs is a timely step toward turning Kenya's climate challenges into decent work and inclusive growth opportunities. By investing in people and equipping communities with the right skills, we foster innovation and resilience, ensuring that the green transition leaves no one behind for more sustainable future," said Caroline Njuki, Chief Technical Advisor, ILO PROSPECTS Kenya.
ILO's support included providing technical inputs to advance the National Strategy on Green Skills and Green Jobs so that it is responsive to international labour standards, principles of just transition, and best global practice. Through expert guidance and policy review, the ILO helped Kenya establish a robust framework for green job creation and workforce development.
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Norman Mampane (Shopsteward Editor)
Congress of South African Trade Unions
110 Jorissen Cnr Simmonds Street, Braamfontein, 2017
P.O.Box 1019, Johannesburg, 2000, South Africa
Tel: +27 11 339-4911 Direct line: 010 219-1348